Holgate decimated during the storm

Nov. 1, 2012

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Written by

Nicholas Huba

@nicholashuba

Long Beach Township, NJ, 10/31/12 ----- Car wedged under house and buried in sand in the Holgate section of Long Beach Township NJ. The damage was from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. NJ SANDY2012, 103012 Robert Ward / Asbury Park Press, NJ / Robert Ward / Staff Photographer

Long Beach Township, NJ, 10/31/12 ----- Trailers strewn about at the Long Beach Island Trailer Park in Holgate, a section of Long Beach Township, NJ. The damage was from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. NJ SANDY2012, 103012 Robert Ward / Asbury Park Press, NJ / Robert Ward / Staff Photographer

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LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — The smell of natural gas from broken gas lines has replaced the aroma of the ocean’s salt air in the Holgate section of the township.

Superstorm Sandy has left its mark on the southern tip of Long Beach Island.

“Right now it’s going to cost at least $200 million to fix the beaches and that is just the beaches, overall it’s going to be closer to $700 million,” said Mayor Joseph Mancini as he gave reporters a tour of the decimated area. “It’s going to cost at least $50,000 for these homes (with their pilings exposed) to be fixed. We have a long way to go, but I’m confident that this island will be back.”

The Long Beach Island Trailer Park, a popular seasonal escape in Holgate, was destroyed. Trailers were smashed into each other and busted gas lines made the flood waters bubble.

On Tuesday, crews of township representatives were out assessing the damage and determining if residents could return to their homes. Approximately 100 New Jersey National Guard members were on the island assisting with clean up and recovery efforts.

“It looks like some of the bay front homes made it through OK,” said Jay Madden, a township architect that was helping out with the damage assessment.

It could be at least another week before township residents are allowed back into their homes, Mancini said.

“Some areas are going to be allowed in before others based on the clean up,” Mancini said.

On Tuesday, some residents who stayed on the island during the storm walked down to Holgate to check out the damage.

“The damage is incredible,” said Matt Reitinger, 26, of the Brant Beach section of the township, as he looked out over the Holgate Refuge. “We stayed and there was two feet of water in our first floor and my car had a foot of water in it. It’s incredible to see what mother can do.”

In the Beach Haven Park section of the township, streets are blocked by more than three feet of sand.

“It’s amazing to see,” said Craig Stefanoni, 51, of 104th Street. “I’m confident that we will get this fixed and we will be back in no time.”